A Thousand Years
by Irish Angell
Summary: What if the reason Klaus was unable to love was because of another curse that had been placed on him? What if Caroline is the way to breaking that curse?
1. Prologue

_**Author's Note: I came up with this idea one day and just had to write it. Mostly because Klaus is my favorite character and I was just dying to write something so personal about him from his perspective. Also, I'm a sucker for romance and I seriously believe Caroline is Klaus' soul mate and that is why he is so drawn to her, so this is my take on that. Enjoy. =]**_

_**P.S. The title is a play on Christina Perri's song "A Thousand Years", which I think is a perfect song for this lovely couple. *hearts!***_

_**UPDATE! I was made known (rather rudely) that Elijah is actually the oldest brother, and not Finn like I had previously stated. I do apologize for the mix up. Finn just looked older to me and I couldn't remember a time where they actually state who is the oldest, so I just guessed. I have gone and corrected my error.**_

* * *

**A Thousand Years**  
Prologue

With his first kill came the revelation that he was not who he thought he was; that he wasn't just a blood-sucking monster, but he was also something else. He was twice the monster… a new and rare species all its own: a hybrid.

It wasn't as if he had meant to kill his victim. No, he had only meant to feed for his survival. His mother had turned him, his siblings, and his father into creatures of the night, the living dead… abominations. They needed to feed on their fellow man in order to live. Usually he only took what he needed and erased their memories – "compulsion" he had decided to call it – and that was the end of it. But this time he had lost control. His hunger had been too much for him, and the girl was too beautiful for him to resist.

Despite what his mother had turned him into, he had wanted so desperately to keep hold of his humanity, and his fear had always been that he would kill someone, but his mother assured him that if he could control it, he would never hurt anyone. Lately, however, it was becoming harder and harder to do so, as his father – who had always despised him – seemed to hate him tenfold after their transformation, for with their transformation had come heightened emotions, and his father was no exception to that. His father, Mikael, was constantly getting on him, belittling him, embarrassing him in front of his siblings and townsfolk by beating him senseless to make sure that he knew his place.

On this particular morning, his father had struck him down for racing his best horse and accidentally injuring him. It wasn't until his dear, sweet, younger sister, Rebekah, had screamed at her father to stop before he finally let him be. His father seemed to enjoy beating him more now than ever since they had become immortal. After his father had stormed off, taking his sister with him, he had decided he wanted to get away, to hide while his body healed.

That's when he found himself by a lake, watching a woman as she collected firewood. Her skin was flawless, her features radiant. He could not resist himself, and the need for approval from someone was too great. He had lured her in and began his seduction of her, and in the throes of passion he had bitten into her and drank, unable to stop. When he was finished, her naked, lifeless body lay below him, her warm blood dripping down his chin.

When he had come back to his senses and realized what he had done, he was overcome with grief. He had taken a life, a _human_ life. He truly was a monster. But before he could pull himself together, his body began to feel… strange. And then he was in pain, every bone in his body cracking and breaking. He screamed in agony as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Was this his punishment for the murder he had just committed? If so, it was not enough.

And then everything went black.

When he awoke, he was lying in the room he shared with his brothers, his mother, Esther, sitting beside him. She realized he was awake and looked at him sadly. Realizing he was fully clothed now, everything that had happened before he blacked out quickly came back to him and he immediately asked his mother to explain what had happened. It took her a while to respond, and when she did, he was not prepared for what he had heard.

She explained to him the origin behind his true parentage. That his father was not the man he had known to be his father, and that years ago, before he was ever born, she had had an affair with another man… one of the men from the village, one of the shape shifters, and that he was conceived from this man. As he listened to her, he was at first shocked, but then he slowly began to grow angry. How could she have lied to him? All these years he had felt different from his siblings, as though he didn't belong, and he had felt so at ease with the men who turned into wolves. He had become fascinated by them, so much so that he liked to sneak out every month during the full moon to watch them transform; little did he know that he _was_ one of them.

Esther then told him that he would never have to worry, that she had placed a spell on him – a curse – that now suppressed his werewolf side. At this, he grew furious. First she lied to him, and now she had taken away from him the very thing that had made him special? He grabbed her by the shoulders, demanding to know why she had done this. She could not allow him to become too powerful, she explained, and refused to lift the curse from him. He demanded to know who his real father was, but it was too late. Mikael had already killed him and his entire family, and then promptly disappeared. Enraged, he demanded she lift his curse, but again she refused.

And then he had done something he had not intended, that he had not meant to happen… he reached into his mother's chest with his bare hands and grabbed hold of her heart.

"You _will_ lift this curse!" He growled.

She let out a gasp and stared at him in horror, "Niklaus," she whispered, touching his face with her hand, "you would take my heart, the heart of your mother?"

He felt tears welling in his eyes, but his anger was too strong, and he wanted her to do what he asked. He swallowed, "Yes."

"You will separate me from your brothers and sister, and from my love for all eternity?" she stroked his cheek as his hand gripped her heart, his anger rising.

"Surely you cannot proclaim to '_love'_ my '_father'_ when you had a child with another man? _You lied to me!_" She gasped loudly as he tightened his grip.

She smiled at him, but not a kind, loving smile that a mother would her child. A cold, vengeful one, "Your soul is a dark one, Niklaus… until you can learn to love, you will never be rid of it… From this moment on, you will walk this world a lonely man, unable to feel… to love… you will be alone, Niklaus…"

Being alone, being unloved, these were the only things in his life that he had ever been afraid of. Her eyes bore into his, his heart racing faster and faster with each word she said, "Only when the appearance of your soul mate will you truly understand what it feels like to love, but her love will not belong to you…" she gasped for air and it was becoming harder for her to speak, "no, her love will belong to another… by that time, your soul may be… too dark… and… twisted for her to… ever love you in… return..." He felt hot tears on his cheeks, his vision blurring. "If you can… learn to love… truly love… then perhaps… you will… earn her love in return…"

"Mother…" he felt a sudden feeling of despair wash over him, "what have you done to me? You've turned me into a monster!"

"No, Niklaus… you did that on your own…"

The truth in her words angered him and without another thought, he ripped out her heart. Her eyes widened as he did so and she let out her last breath. Calm came over her face as her eyes shut and she fell to the ground.

He stood there a moment, his hand bloodied from the heart he held in his hand, the realization of what he had done washing over him. He dropped to his knees, staring down at her... his mother… the woman he had loved his whole life. She was a hard woman, but she always loved him. And now she was dead and he was monster, cursed to walk this world with his sins…

He scooped her up in his arms, pulling her into his lap, and began to wail. What had he done? Hearing the commotion, his siblings ran inside. What was he to do? If they found out what had really happened, they would abandon him. He could not bear to lose any more family, and he could not let his mother's final words to him become reality.

So he lied.

He told them their father had murdered her in cold blood, and that he would murder them, too, if he got the chance. They believed him, every one of them. His older brother, Finn, who had been closest to their mother, was so grief stricken that he left right away, no longer wanting to be where his mother had been murdered. His youngest brother, Kol, while saddened by his mother's death, was more afraid of his own, and fled soon after he had had time to mourn and process what had happened.

Already his mother's words were becoming truth.

All that remained now were his eldest brother, Elijah, and his baby sister, Rebekah. They decided to bury their mother before fleeing, and after they had done so, the three of them made a pact that they would always be with each other no matter what. Though the horror of what he had done weighed heavily upon him, this pact meant that he would never lose his brother's or sister's love, despite what his mother had said. As long as they continued to believe that their father was responsible for their mother's death, then they would be loyal to him.

Now all that remained was to break his werewolf curse, and he would spend all of eternity trying if he had to. His mother couldn't stop him from doing so, not from the grave. No, she was dead now, and he would have to live with that. As for love; who needs love? He had his brother and his sister, and he was the most powerful creature on the planet. He did not need love.

Love was weakness.

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_**So… yeah. I wasn't too happy with this chapter. I was a little disappointed, but oh well. It's just supposed to kind of give you an idea of what happened. Also, how often do we get to see Klaus before he was the murdering psychopath we all know now? Anyway, working on next chapter. Please review.**_

_**~Kristin**_


	2. The Day We Met

**_Aww, you guys are so awesome! I cannot believe all the favs and follows! And thank you so much for the amazing reviews! It warms my heart! =] Seriously, guys, your reviews are like crack to me, so please review! I love feedback! Nothing makes me feel better than when someone really likes what I've written, especially when it's a chapter that I'm not too thrilled with how it turned out. You guys have truly made me happy! =]_**

**_So in this chapter I tried to pinpoint the moment Klaus starts to take an interest in Caroline. It had always been a curiosity of mine of when he started to be interested in her. Obviously it's before "Our Town", because he already had that bracelet picked out for her, so when was it? That's what I try to find out here. There isn't nearly enough Klaroline in this chapter, and I do apologize. This is first and foremost a Klaus fic, following him on his journey to love and falling in love with Caroline._**

**_Hope you enjoy. =]_**

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**A Thousand Years**  
Chapter 1 – "The Day We Met"

The first time Klaus saw her he felt something in his heart skip a beat. He didn't pay much attention to it, figuring it had more to do with excitement at the possibility that everything he had worked so hard for the last one-thousand years would finally be brought to fruition. Still, he couldn't help but linger in the hallway just outside the door, watching her curiously. It wasn't as if she were doing anything fascinating. On the contrary, there she stood, her hand on the werewolf boy's back in a comforting manner, her blonde locks spilling around her face. So simple, and yet so captivating. He shook his head, bringing himself back to the situation at hand.

"Well, the verdict's in," he said, taking a step into the classroom, gathering the attention of the three supernatural beings inside. He glimpsed her stunning blue eyes before continuing, "The Original Witch says the doppelganger should be dead."

Rebekah got to her feet, "Does that mean we can kill her?" She sounded a little _too_ happy about that thought. He hated to crush her dreams.

"No, I'm fairly certain it means the opposite." He told her.

"What?!" The word escaped Rebekah's lips, but despite her disappointment she grabbed the young blonde vampire by the arms almost immediately and held her tight, keeping her from interfering with Klaus' plans.

"Call it a hunch…" He said, chancing a glance at the blonde girl one more time before leaning on the table in front of the werewolf boy – Tyler, they had called him – holding a vial of the doppelganger's blood in his hand, "Elena's blood. Drink it."

"No! No, no, no, Tyler, don't!" the girl said. He couldn't help but think her voice was just as beautiful as she was.

"If he doesn't _feed_, he'll die anyway, love," he said, "Consider this an experiment." Tyler looked at him, his face contorted due to pain. "It's okay," Klaus told him, barely above a whisper. The boy looked to be having an internal battle. After a few seconds, he seemed to finally make a decision and slowly took the vial from Klaus' hands. "There we go." Tyler brought the vial to his lips and drank quickly. "Good boy."

Tyler began convulsing and tumbled to the ground. The girl cried, "Tyler? No, Tyler!" she tried to fight against Rebekah's grasp, but his sister was far too strong for her. He watched in fascination as Tyler rolled on the ground, screaming in agony. "No!" He heard the girl scream.

Tyler grabbed his head, screaming, and then fell on his hands and knees, the suffering in his voice increasing. Klaus knelt down beside the boy, watching him. Had he actually done it? Tyler's head snapped up, his eyes a golden color, fangs bared; however, they were not werewolf fangs, but vampire fangs. "Now that's a good sign." Klaus said, quite pleased with himself. He looked to his sister, "Our work here is done. Get the girl, we're leaving."

Rebekah released the girl in her grasp, who immediately fell to her boyfriend's side, wrapping her arms around him. Klaus stood, watching them.

"What about _them_?" Rebekah asked, glaring at the couple huddled on the floor.

"Leave them. He's served his purpose… for now."

**xXx**

_I don't know what this feeling is inside of me, but whatever it is, it happened when I first laid eyes on her. Whoever she is, she has stirred something inside of me… perhaps she is a witch?_

_No, that doesn't make any sense. She is a vampire, and witches cannot be vampires. Then what is this spell she has cast on me? Why can't I stop thinking about her? _

_I have more pressing matters to attend to, such as taking Elena and Rebekah and getting the hell out of this town. Now that I know Elena's blood is the key to creating hybrids, I can't just leave her here... I can barely even focus on Elena right now…_

_I can't stop thinking about **her**…_

**xXx**

"So the doppelganger isn't the problem. Her blood is the solution." Rebekah said. She was sitting on the hood of an SUV in the hospital parking lot.

He made his way towards her, "Seems so."

"How did you know?"

Klaus rested his hands on the hood next to her, "Well, you know how much the original witch hated me. Do you honestly think I would do anything other than the opposite of what _she_ says?" He turned from her, taking a few steps back to where he had been standing. He was trying to care about what his sister was saying, to stay in the conversation with her, but his thoughts kept wandering back to the young blonde vampire, and he couldn't understand why.

"A thousand years in the grave and she's still screwing with you." Rebekah had a hint of amusement in her voice.

He turned back around to look at her, "Well, it makes sense if you think about it from her perspective." He made his way back towards her, "It was her failsafe in case I ever broke the hybrid curse. The doppelganger had to die in order for me to become a hybrid, but if she was dead..." He rested his hands on the car again.

"Then you couldn't use her blood to sire yourself a new species."

"Leaving me alone for all time." He said coolly, a hint of hurt in his voice.

Rebekah looked at him, saddened, "Is that what this is about? …Your obsession with hybrids… You just don't want to be alone?"

Klaus stared at her for a moment. He could feel the tears threatening to make their appearance. He pushed off the SUV and backed away, changing the subject as best he knew how, "What I want is to take my girl, take my hybrid the hell out of this one pony town." He turned away from her, composing himself before turning to face her again, "You know, why don't you, uh, why don't you get the truck? I'll get Elena."

Rebekah looked disappointed, and maybe even a little pissed off, but she slid off the SUV's hood anyway and did as he said, giving him one last glance as she passed him. He watched her leave, and was glad she was gone. Now he could be alone with his thoughts. Or so he had hoped.

He could feel another's presence appearing behind him and he knew instantly who it was. He smiled, "Well, look who finally decided to show up to the party."

"Where is she?" Damon demanded, making his way towards Klaus, who wasn't the least bit concerned.

"Elena? Ah, she's making a donation to a greater cause." Damon made to walk passed him, but Klaus stopped him. "I'm afraid I can't let you interfere, mate."

"You'll have to kill me."

"Oh, I would love to kill you, but I made a pledge to your brother and unlike him, I keep my word. Although, you know what, thinking about it now, he probably doesn't care that much anymore." In the blink of an eye, Klaus had Damon pinned against the hood of a car, holding him down by the neck with one hand, preparing to attack him with the other.

Before he could strike his final blow to the older Salvatore, however, Damon said something that caught him completely off guard. "Don't you want to know about your friend Mikael?"

Klaus froze, unable to hide the fear in his eyes, "What do you know about Mikael?"

"Just that he knows you're here."

Klaus stared at him a moment, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. "You're bluffing."

"Katherine and I found him. Consider it our leverage."

Angered by this revelation, Klaus threw Damon to the ground and disappeared, running off to collect the bags of Elena's blood. He got into the truck with Rebekah, who looked thoroughly confused. "Where's the girl?" she asked, annoyed, before noticing the look on Klaus' face. "What's wrong?"

"I have to leave town," he said.

She rolled her eyes, "I know. That's why I got the truck, and you were supposed to bring the doppelganger, remember?"

"No," he looked at her, trying his best to hide his fear, "I need to leave town _alone_."

**xXx**

Rebekah hadn't believed him when he said he was leaving her in Mystic Falls, so when he got a phone call from her the next morning, he wasn't surprised. "Good morning, Rebekah," he said calmly. He was in the middle of a forest in Ohio, having not wasted any time with his mission to sire hybrids.

"Where the hell are you, Nik?" She demanded, "I woke up this morning and went to your hotel room and you were gone! The woman at the main desk said you checked out last night!"

"I told you I was leaving Mystic Falls alone, little sister; I don't know why you're so surprised." He couldn't hide the amusement in his voice, and it angered her more.

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?!" she practically screamed into the phone, "And what the hell am I supposed to do here?"

"I want you to keep an eye on the Lockwood boy and get him anything he needs. I have Stefan watching Elena." He was starting to become very bored with this conversation, "I have to go now, Bekah."

"Don't you hang up on-!" He heard her say before he clicked the END button. He sighed, replacing the phone back in his jacket pocket. She could be such a drama queen sometimes.

He heard a groan and looked over in the direction of the noise, making his way to the person who made it. "Ah, you're awake," he said, bending down to the first werewolf in transition. He looked out at the dozen or so other bodies that lay on the ground, other werewolves he had killed after force-feeding them his blood. He looked back at the new baby-hybrid, who looked terrified.

"What happened?" he asked, "What did you do to me? …To my friends?"

Klaus only smiled, "I made you better." He explained, taking some of Elena's blood he had poured into a thermos, "Here. Drink."

The boy took it reluctantly and drank, soon displaying the same horrific show that Tyler had shown the night before. As Klaus looked on, he heard others begin to stir.

He smiled, "See, Esther? You can't defeat me."

**xXx**

_Despite my best efforts, I can't stop thinking about her. I've learned her name from Rebekah, who complains constantly about her and Elena and the rest of their friends. Every time she wants to tell me about how her day went, I could care less, but find myself listening in order to learn more about this Caroline Forbes._

_She's a cheerleader, I'm told, which doesn't particularly interest me but I listen, feigning interest. I'm certain Rebekah knows I couldn't give a shit about anything she tells me, but she continues on anyway. Probably figures she'll milk my attention as much as possible before I eventually grow tired of her incessant whining and hang up the phone. I want her to tell me more about Caroline, but I don't know how to ask her without causing her suspicion. I don't even know why I want to know more, either. I just do. Whenever she brings up the baby-vampire I feel a jolt in my chest. I don't understand how, I haven't even really spoken to the girl. _

_I need to know more about her. Maybe once I learn more I will understand why she occupies my mind so damn much…_

**xXx**

"It´s true. I saw it with my own eyes." Stefan said on the other end of the phone.

It had been weeks since Klaus had left Mystic Falls, and had now sired himself a few dozen hybrids. He was in Portland now, having just turned yet another pack of werewolves.

"I wanna talk to Rebekah." Klaus demanded. Even though Stefan was compelled to tell the truth to him, Klaus could not take that chance.

Stefan put Rebekah on the phone. "Hello Nik." She said rather calmly, which immediately set off an alarm in his head. Was he really so untrusting that he would be suspicious of his own sister?

"Rebekah, love, what´s this I hear about Mikael´s tragic run in with the dagger?"

"It´s true. He´s finally out of our lives for good." She paused.

The answer to his question was 'yes'.

"I miss you... I´m miserable here," she finally added.

He mustered up the best sympathetic tone he could, "I´ll be home soon."

"Good. I'll see you then, brother." He heard her say just before he hung up the phone. He made his way back to his SUV, convinced that Elena and her friends were setting a trap for him, and they had somehow got Rebekah involved. No matter, he would just have to have a little contingency plan of his own.

**xXx**

What a splendid party he had put together in such a short amount of time. He had even compelled a band to perform on short notice. He knew something was up with the whole Mikael situation, but he wasn't sure of what. He had planned to speak with Rebekah, but there had been little time, and he couldn't seem to find her anywhere in the crowd. That fact alone made him certain that something was wrong. When he finally caught up with Stefan, he made a point of asking him where Rebekah was.

"I have no idea. I thought she was coming with Matt." Stefan said calmly. Sometimes Klaus really hated the cool demeanor that came over Stefan when he had his emotions turned off. Most of the time he really quite enjoyed Stefan's company when he was the Ripper, but right now, in situations like these where he wanted information he knew wasn't going to be forthcoming, he was finding it annoying.

"Oh, be honest now, Stefan. Where is my sister?" He glared at Stefan, trying to stay calm when in reality he wanted to tear his head off.

"I said I have no idea. How would you like me to take you to your father?"

Ever since Klaus had received that phone call, Stefan had been very adamant that Klaus come see his father. If he hadn't been suspicious before, it would be stupid of him to not be now. After living a thousand years, Klaus knew better than to trust anyone. "Well, it wouldn't be a party without the guest of honor, would it? Bring him to me." If Stefan honestly thought he was going to get Klaus alone in a room with his father's "corpse", he had another thing coming. He assured Stefan he would give him his freedom once he did what he had asked, and with that Stefan had left.

Now on to more pressing matters, like where was Rebekah? He wandered around for a while, chatting with some of his hybrids, making sure they were prepared should anything go south for him.

After a while he saw her, standing there smiling with friends in a short, clingy dark pink dress. She was gorgeous… even more so than he remembered, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. He made his way towards her, but then Tyler was heading his way. Ah, yes, he should probably take care of this.

"My mom would seriously freak if she saw all these people here." Tyler told him, not the least bit of worry in his voice. He was having a good time, and why shouldn't he? It was homecoming and this party was a rager!

At this, Klaus smiled, "Your mother won't be a problem: I compelled her to go to church and pray for your friends."

Tyler looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

"I want you to look around. There is Bonnie," he pointed to the dark-skinned girl, and then pointed at the two teens standing just a few short feet from her, "there is Elena and Matt," and then he brought his sights to the young woman who had held his attention just a short time ago, "and there's your pretty little girlfriend Caroline." He kept his eyes on her a little longer as he spoke, before bringing them back to Tyler, "Epic dance was wrecked tonight and who came through with the party? You did. What a pal. But who are all these other people here?

Tyler looked around, "I have no idea. I've never seen half these people in my life."

"That's because I've invited a few dozen friends of my own." Klaus then proceeded to point out all the hybrids that he had brought with him, making sure that Tyler knew he was in charge of how this evening was going to end.

"Hold on… Are those people all hybrids?"

"And they also love a good party. And they, like you, were sired by me; they wish to serve their master. So if anyone should so much as make a move against me, they may feel obligated to retaliate." He kept a serious face as he allowed his words to sink in. Tyler's face was that of utter shock and confusion, with a hint of fear. After a moment, Klaus' seriousness melted away and he smiled wide, "You're free to warn your friends." He said as he walked off.

**xXx**

After his little run-in with Tyler, Klaus had lost sight of Caroline. He walked around looking for her, trying to come up with a clever way to approach her. After searching the entire party twice without any sight of her, he finally resigned to playing beer pong with some of the idiot high schoolers who were attending. She was just a silly girl, anyway. What did he care?

When one of his hybrids appeared and told him he had a visitor, he quickly dismissed it, but then he heard the name: Mikael. His mood immediately turned from pleasant boredom to a mixture of anger and fear… and betrayal. Somehow he knew that Stefan had been lying to him. That also meant that he had been right about Rebekah deceiving him. His gut was never wrong.

He made his way to the front of the house to face his "father", whom he hadn't seen in God only knows how long. Over the years he had learned to cover his tracks and had managed to stay successfully hidden from Mikael long before his desiccation. To see his father in the flesh again had surprisingly brought out more of his insecurities than fear, and he couldn't quite understand it, but Caroline popped into his head. Why was she invading his thoughts now? With his father, the only creature on the entire planet who could kill him, standing just a few feet away? The only thing standing between he and his father was the invisible barrier that prevented Mikael from entering the house.

It didn't take Mikael long to start playing off of Klaus' insecurities. Every word out of his lips struck a nerve with Klaus, causing a whirlwind of emotion. In every scenario Klaus had prepared for, he hadn't prepared for Mikael to compel his hybrids, and he certainly wasn't prepared for him to be holding Elena hostage.

"Come out and face me, Nikaus. Or she dies." Mikael threatened, holding Elena tightly beside him.

Klaus decided to not play his game, "Go ahead. Kill her."

"No, Klaus. He`ll do it!" Elena begged.

"If she dies, this lot will be last of your abominations." Mikael said, gesturing to the hybrids that stood on the lawn behind him.

"I don`t need them. I just need to be rid of you."

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever, with no one at your side?" his father taunted, knowing which buttons to push; It didn't matter how many years he lived, he would always be that insecure young boy who tried desperately to earn his father's love, only to be rejected and hated. "Nobody cares about you anymore, boy!"

Each word out of Mikael's mouth was like a blow to the gut, the truth in it more than Klaus could bear. He was reminded of the final curse his mother had placed upon him, and it began to bring tears to his eyes. "What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? …No one." Mikael goaded. Klaus' thoughts immediately went to Caroline, for whatever reason, and he tried to remain strong, but his father's words were becoming too much, "No one."

"I`m calling your bluff, father. Kill her."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward, and I won`t have to."

"My whole life you've underestimated me," Klaus felt a single tear fall down his cheek, but was too preoccupied to care, "If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!"

Mikael laughed, mocking him one last time before driving a knife into Elena's back. Klaus gasped in time with her, watching as she gagged and fell in a heap on the porch. He backed away, staring at her lifeless body, trying to regain his composure. He had just lost his only way to create more hybrids, to never be alone. He heard something behind him and turned just as Damon Salvatore drove a stake into his stomach. Klaus screamed in agony, grabbing hold of Damon and trying to push him off, but Damon had the upper hand and brought Klaus back down to the ground, pulling the stake out of him and preparing for another shot.

Before he could take it, however, Stefan appeared and tackled his brother to the ground. Klaus laid there for a second, catching his breath and trying to catch up with the events that had taken place. It all seemed so unreal to him. He looked through the door, seeing Elena alive and well, and his father… his father was completely off guard. As Mikael turned to face him, Klaus looked at the white oak stake lying beside him and didn't think twice. Using his vampire speed, he grabbed the stake from the ground and leapt to his feet, rushing through the door, tackling his father and stabbing the stake into his heart. Mikael let out an agonizing cry as Klaus got to his feet, the white oak stake still in Mikael's chest. He stared on as his father continued to scream and burst into flames.

Klaus wiped his tears from his face and tried his best to regain his composure. He looked around, analyzing the situation. His hybrids were on the ground, their bodies slowly healing from the wolfsbane grenades that had been used on them. Elena was gone, and by this point Klaus had realized that Elena had actually been Katherine all along.

He looked back to his father, watching as he slowly turned to ash. It was over. It was finally over. His father was finally gone, and he would never have to run again. He could finally breathe. He made his way back into the Lockwood estate. Stefan had earned his freedom, after having freed Klaus from the only man on this earth he feared.

Mikael's words still stuck with him, though, nagging at him in the back of his mind.

_Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? _

…_No one._


	3. Collateral Damage

_**Thank you again to everyone who reviewed, faved, and followed this story! It means a lot! And I will do my best to update in a timely manner!**_

_**So I've pretty much mapped out where this is going most of the way, but I'm not done. Looks like this could potentially be a really long fic if I play my cards right. So far I've mapped out the direction of the first 13 chapters, so know that I have at least 13 chapters in mind, but definitely plan to go way further.**_

_**This is a rather short chapter, but hey, I wrote it in a day 'cause I couldn't wait to get it up for you guys! So woot! That is an accomplishment for me! Hope you enjoy! And please review!**_

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**A Thousand Years**  
Chapter 2 – "Collateral Damage"

After the incident with Mikael at the Lockwood estate, Klaus was riding high on the realization that Mikael was gone for good and out of his life. It was time to reunite his family, he had decided, and had prepared to finally remove the daggers from their hearts and awake them from their slumber. However, Stefan had other things in mind. In all his excitement at finally being rid of Mikael, for once in Klaus' life he was not thinking of staying ahead of the game and he actually believed he could relax for a moment, but was he ever wrong. As he had gone to collect his family, he had come to discover that they were missing, and that Stefan was the culprit. He had threatened him, but Stefan countered with his own threat: that he would drop Klaus' family into the ocean and he would never see them again.

Since that moment, he had been actively searching for the coffins, having every available hybrid on the case while he completed construction on the mansion that he had planned for his entire family to live in. However, he was losing too many hybrids. Stefan had even had the guts to come into his home and kill one right in front of him. Klaus' patience was wearing thin, and he needed to fight back.

To make matters even more frustrating, despite everything that was going on with Stefan and his missing family, Klaus still found his thoughts traveling back to Caroline. His family was priority number one, of course, but his mind still wandered to thoughts of Caroline, the woman he barely knew. What was her likes or dislikes? What kind of things was she passionate about? What were her dreams? He only knew what Rebekah had told him, and she didn't always (hardly ever) paint people in a very good light. He had learned over the centuries to never take anything Rebekah said at face value.

Oh, but Caroline… she was so beautiful, so… strong willed and compassionate (from what he could tell). He had met many women over his lifetime who shared her same spirit, but he was never drawn to them like he was to Caroline. Something about her was just… different. It was like she was a missing piece to a puzzle he didn't even know was lost. He knew he had to get closer to her somehow, and he decided he was going to use Stefan's latest reckless behavior as a means to do so.

He had called Tyler in after Stefan had left, and told him he needed to bite Caroline, which Tyler refused. Klaus had expected resistance from him, but not flat-out refusal. No matter. He told him he would find another way to get back at Stefan, but in reality Klaus knew full well that while Tyler had refused, he would do his bidding anyway, whether he knew it or not. That's how the sire bond works. It was the ultimate manipulation tool, and oh, how Klaus loved to manipulate. He had been doing it for many centuries now, starting with the night he had killed his mother. It was the only way he knew how to keep his family from abandoning him, and over time it had become a means to get what he wanted.

So now all he had to do was sit and wait for the fateful phone call or late night home visit from Tyler telling him what he had done. It was almost too perfect, really. He hadn't planned for Caroline to be hurt, but between his rage and the need to strike back at Stefan – and his uncontrollable desire to integrate himself into her life – all the pieces had seemed to just fall into place. It might not have been the best way to get closer to her, but that didn't matter to him.

**xXx**

_I knew he would do what I asked, even if he thought he was in control. Tyler showed up at my front door only a few short hours after I had spoken to him, and he was frantic, saying that he had done it, that he had bitten her, and he begged me to save her. And I, being a merciful master, complied. Little did he know that I had already planned on it._

**xXx**

Klaus made his way to the front door of the Forbes home, rang the doorbell and waited. He saw a young man round a corner and recognized him as Matt Donovan.

Matt answered the door, a look of anger and hate upon his face. "Tyler came to see me," Klaus said, "Poor boy, he seemed quite distressed. He said Caroline had a terrible accident."

"You _made_ him do this to her. He would have never done something like this." Matt replied, glaring at Klaus.

"I'm here to _help_, Matt. My blood will heal her, please ask the sheriff to invite me inside."

As if on cue, Elizabeth Forbes appeared. "I know how this game works. You want something in return." She said.

Klaus shook his head, "Just your support."

The sheriff paused. He could see she was having an internal struggle. Eventually, she relented, "Come in."

He took a step forward, giving Matt a slight smirk as he passed him, and allowed the sheriff to show him to Caroline. Liz made to follow him in, but Klaus stopped her. "Wait in the living room, sheriff."

"But-" she said, but he cut her off.

"I will heal your daughter, but you must wait in the other room." He said forcefully, giving her a look that told her to do what he said. She stared at him a moment longer, then nodded slowly and retreated to the living room. He turned to the door in front of him and took a deep breath, his heart racing. He was finally going to see the woman who was haunting his every thought, and for some reason he was… nervous? He shook his head and opened the door.

He entered Caroline's bedroom to find the blonde beauty lying in her bed, her eyes closed. She had her arm resting under her head and the covers pulled tightly around her, the nightstand beside her bed littered with birthday cards. She opened her eyes when she heard him enter and looked at him a second, probably trying to decide if he were a hallucination or not.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked weakly. He was taken aback by the question.

"On your birthday?" he replied as if it were the most preposterous thing he had ever heard. He couldn't understand it, but he was actually hurt by the accusation, and it shown in his face, "You really think that low of me?"

She stared at him a moment more before answering, "Yes."

Klaus took a step closer, pulling back the sheet from her shoulder so that he could examine the damage. He could feel her heart racing as he did this; probably terrified that he was actually there to kill her. He exhaled slowly, almost painfully, as he looked at the bite. He hadn't expected it to be that bad and he felt an emotion come over him that he hadn't felt in a long time, so long, in fact, that he couldn't place what the feeling was. Was it guilt?

"It looks bad," he said, staring down at her remorsefully, "My apologies, you're what's known as collateral damage, it's nothing personal." She looked up at him, almost as if she didn't believe him. He noticed the charm bracelet on her wrist and reached out, tapping one of the charms, "I love birthdays."

She scoffed, "Yeah. Aren't you, like...a billion, or something?" her voice was weak, leading him to believe that the bite was taking a far worse hold on her than he had anticipated.

However, her answer amused him, and he felt a slight smile play across his lips as he replied. "Well, you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions." He looked at her more serious, "You're free."

"No," she replied, looking off in the distance before bringing her gaze back to him, "I'm dying."

The look in her eyes made his chest feel like it was caving in. He couldn't explain it, but he had the overpowering urge to comfort her, to pull her into his arms and tell her it would all be alright. Before he knew what he was doing, he had slowly brought himself down to sit on the edge of her bed. He was a mere inches from her warm, soft body.

He rested his hands in his lap as he spoke, "And I could let you… die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning." He stopped, reminded of dark days when he felt lost and alone, wishing he could die, but unable to. His eyes began to gloss over with tears and he swallowed, pushing them back down, "I thought about it myself… once or twice, over the centuries, truth will be told."

Caroline stared at him. She seemed confused, as if she didn't know what to make of him, or if he was even telling the truth. Even he was surprised by how comfortable he felt with her, and the fact that he could tell her any of this. These were feelings he had never even shared with his own siblings, and here he was telling them to her, the baby-vampire he had never really even spoken to until now. He seemed to gain his senses, and he stopped himself before he could dive even deeper into his psyche.

He leaned down so that he was closer to her, "But I'll let you in on a little secret. There's a whole _world_ out there," he said, smiling, "waiting for you. Great cities and art and music…" his eyes focused on her charm bracelet again and he went to touch it once more, but stopped himself, "genuine beauty. And you can have _all_ of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask." He didn't realize it, but his eyes were pleading with her to say 'yes, save me'…

Pleading with her to save _him_…

She searched his eyes, tears forming behind her own. "I don't wanna die."

Klaus was relieved, but tried his best not to show it. He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and gently lifted her up so that he was cradling her with the other. He offered her his wrist, "There you go, sweetheart. Have at it." He said in a whisper. As she bit into him and drank the healing blood that flowed through his veins, he couldn't help but relish in the feeling of having her so close to him. It felt right, and he couldn't explain why. He was starting to notice a pattern with this girl: she was making him feel all sorts of things he couldn't explain.

"Happy birthday Caroline," he said, allowing her to drink, the scent of her hair intoxicating. When she had finished drinking, he gently laid her back down on her pillow.

She seemed to drift off to sleep rather quickly, but he didn't want to leave her until he knew that she was fine. He kept his seat on the edge of her bed and waited, checking the bite on her shoulder every so often to make sure it was healing alright. When it had finally healed, he stayed with her a little longer, looking over her serene face as she slept. He brushed her hair back with his fingertips, not because it was in her face, but because he wanted to know what it felt like. He then glided his fingers to her cheek and across her jawline. Her skin was soft… she was so beautiful. He swallowed, feeling his heart racing again. _'What is wrong with me?'_ he thought, quickly getting to his feet. He prepared to leave, but stopped as he reached the door. He had almost forgotten!

Reaching into a breast pocket inside his jacket, he pulled out a velvet box with a note attached to it, and quietly set it down on her night table. He smiled at her one last time before turning and leaving. He greeted her mother in the living room, assuring her that he had healed Caroline and that she needed her rest. He turned to her as he left, "Oh, and thank you for your support," he said with a smirk. She did not look amused, but simply nodded in reply.

Klaus made his way back to his SUV and got inside, sitting in the driver's seat for a few minutes to contemplate what had transpired inside. He had finally gotten a taste of what it was like to be near her, to speak with her, to feel her breath against his skin… and he wanted more.


	4. Family Business

_**Thank you everyone for the faves, follows, and reviews!**_

_**I'm so sorry for the long wait. I had a hard time with this chapter because, despite mapping out the first 13 chapters, this chapter was actually the only one that I didn't have planned. I knew I wanted it to be a chapter all its own 'cause I didn't want to just keep following the episodes (while I do love getting inside Klaus' head during all his scenes and Klaroline's scenes, I didn't want this entire fic to be one big recap), so I wanted to try and focus on sometime between episodes to kind of see the rate at which he falls for Caroline, what's going on with him, and delve more into the curse of "man who can never love". Also, chapter 4 kinda merged with this one at the end.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you like it! PLEASE REVIEW!**_

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**A Thousand Years**  
Chapter 3 – "Family Business"

He was alone. It was dark. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. Where the hell was he? It was black all around him, a room with no door, no windows, just darkness. He began to walk, trying to find his way out.

Where was he?

Suddenly he was in the woods, surrounded by dead trees that were smoking, some still glowing ember. There had been a fire here. In the distance he saw a shadowed figure. He was on his guard now, prepared for whoever this may be. Was it Mikael, back from the grave and ready for vengeance? He neared the figure, determining it's too small to be Mikael, and too well formed to be a man at all. It's a woman. Upon closer inspection he sees that it is a blonde woman.

"Rebekah," he calls out, "is that you?" The figure does not turn, which only heightens his anxiety. "Show yourself, whoever you are!" he demands, pulling the figure by the shoulder and turning her. He took a few steps backwards, "It can't be…"

Before him stands his mother, her dress still stained with blood from where he ripped out her heart. "I told you once, Niklaus, that your soul is dark, too dark and twisted for anyone to ever love you."

"I don't need love, _mother_!" He spit the words out like acid, "And I don't need you!" He lunged forward, prepared to rip her head off but merely fell through her. Klaus turned quickly to look on his mother, not wanting to let her out of his sight. He had determined he was dreaming. That was the only explanation. Esther was dead, had been for a thousand years now. The only way she could ever be standing before him now was that it was a dream, but just because it was a dream did not mean she was not dangerous. She was still a witch, and a powerful one at that. If anyone could do any harm by invading someone's dreams, it was the Original Witch.

"Have you learned nothing these thousand years?" she asked, taking a step towards him, prompting him to take a step back. "You ripped my heart from my chest, and despite the grief you had felt, you continued on a downward path, killing as you wished."

"I ripped your heart out, mother," he hissed, locking his eyes with hers, "because you cursed me to forever be half of who I truly was!"

"Oh, Niklaus, you had so many opportunities to take the better path, and you chose not to." She watched him as he took a few more steps closer to her, his confidence rising. "You kill and manipulate, and what's worse is you brought your siblings down with you."

"Well, had you not hated me so much, maybe I wouldn't have turned out this way?" He said angrily, not hiding the venom in his voice, "You cursed me, remember? I am the man who cannot love."

She searched his face, "The day you can earn the love of another without manipulation, without greed, when you can appreciate that love and what you had gone through to earn it, then you will be free… you have not once begun to try to earn someone's love, Niklaus. You have only tried to steal it," she cocked her head to the side, watching him, "How do you think your brothers and sister would feel if they had known that it was you who had murdered their mother?" Klaus' back straightened at her words and he clenched his jaw, swallowing hard. "Do you honestly think they would have stayed with you?"

"They would have left me, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" she asked, slightly amused.

"Your curse, you wretched woman!"

"Oh, Niklaus," she touched his cheek, sending shockwaves through his body. He pulled away from her quickly; the fact that she could touch him when he could not touch her actually frightened him. What frightened him more was that he had not felt his mother's touch in a thousand years and had spent the better part of those years hating her, but now he stood before her, despising her for her gesture, but surprisingly yearning for it as well. "Perhaps back then they would have forgiven you? Stayed with you? Or, perhaps, they would have left you like you had feared, like you still fear now. But the fact of the matter is that you did not even give them a chance to make that decision. Instead you turned it around, manipulated them." She looked him over, "After a thousand years of your 'love', I'm afraid if you were to give them the choice now, they most certainly would leave you without a second thought."

"You don't know anything!" He shouted, wanting so badly to grab her around the throat and wring the life out of her.

"I know enough, Niklaus. I have watched you all for a thousand years, watching the mess you have all made and the lives you have ruined."

He scoffed, "What did you expect, mother? You would turn us into bloodsucking monsters and there would be no consequences? And let us not forget that you are no saint!" he leaned in, "You do remember how you murdered an innocent woman in order to keep your dear children from ever having to die, don't you? Or have you forgotten that little detail these thousand years when you were watching your children – your _creations_ – maim and murder innocents?"

The dead, smoldering trees around him suddenly burst into flame again, catching him off guard. He put his hands up to guard himself, though once he realized what was happening he put his arms down. Fire could not harm him. He looked at Esther, her eyes shown a fire that burned even hotter than the trees.

"Do not think I have not realized the errors of my ways, Niklaus!" she exclaimed, stepping towards him, once again causing him to step backwards. With each step she took it left a fiery footprint in its wake, "Each day I watch the horrors you unleash on the world, and every day I wish I could go back to that fateful night and change it all! But I cannot!" She grabbed hold of his arm. He attempted to pull away but found that his body had become paralyzed. His eyes widened as Esther's face drew near.

He clenched his jaw tight, his eyes glossy from unshed tears, trying his best to keep them at bay so as not to show weakness. Other than Mikael, Esther was the only other being that he had ever feared. With both of them finally dead, he thought for sure that he would never have to think of them again. He had to remind himself this was only a dream, telling himself that it was his subconscious concocting all of this up for him because he was so used to running.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice level, unfeeling.

"You have the ultimate test awaiting you… the time has finally come. She is near."

"_Who_ is near?" he asked, genuinely confused. Surely whoever this woman is she speaks of is a way to kill him.

"You will find out soon enough." She said. He suddenly felt a burning sensation where she held onto his arm, then through the rest of his body. It felt as those his veins were on fire. He looked up to see his mother's eyes boring deep into his, causing his innards to set aflame. He let out a painful scream as he tried to pull away from her, but he couldn't move.

He was going to burn to death, right here…

**xXx**

Klaus sat straight up in his bed, having awakened from his horrific nightmare in a cold sweat. He took several deep breaths, bordering on hyperventilation, and looked around the room, bringing himself back down to earth.

_It was a dream_, he told himself, _only a dream_.

He took a few more moments to compose himself before throwing back the covers and tossing his legs over the side of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He wore nothing but black pajama pants, his feet, arms, and chest all bare. He suddenly felt a warm sensation on his arm, something he hadn't noticed earlier with all the adrenaline rushing through his system. He got to his feet and made his way to the restroom that was attached to the master bedroom, flicking on the light. Klaus' eyes narrowed and his face turned to stone as he looked down at the cause of his pain.

The skin on his arm where his mother had been holding onto him in his dream was bright red and blistering, though slowly healing. He watched it, trying to decide if he was surprised or frightened. All he knew was that his mother wasn't done messing with him.

**xXx**

Klaus kept himself busy by working to get his family back, which he had finally achieved. The lengths he had to go to get them back, and in the end he didn't even get all of them! Damon and Stefan had hidden the fourth, and unbeknownst to the Salvatores, it was the one coffin he wanted more than any of them; especially after the dream he had had only a couple short weeks ago. The dream that made it nearly impossible for him to sleep at night until he could find the coffin that held the perpetrator of said dream. He was becoming sleep-deprived, causing him to become more aggressive and irritable than usual.

He had taken to drawing again as a way to calm himself down, something he hadn't done in a long time. At first he was drawing the dream; the dead trees, the fire… sometimes just shapes and darkness and abstract images. Then, one day, the darkness began to change. He would draw her. He had seen her around town in his quest to retrieve his family. He wouldn't approach her, and she never saw him, but he always saw her. It was like he knew where she would be and when, and he constantly found her. Most of the time he wasn't even looking for her, but she would show up, as if he was meant to see her. He knew that her and her boyfriend (and his runaway hybrid) had broken up, and for some reason that pleased him. Sometimes when the stress of finding his family was becoming too much, he would go in search of her. Just seeing her – her face, her eyes, her long golden locks – brought a sort of peace over him that calmed him and allowed him to think straight, so he began to draw her.

Now he had his family back (well, most of them) and Elijah was awake. Great.

After a little bit of a rumble and a few choice words spat back and forth at each other, Klaus had convinced Elijah that he would un-dagger the rest of their family if Elijah helped him to destroy Stefan. While he had once had a high regard for Stefan (going even so far as to call him 'friend'), now he held nothing more than distaste for the vengeful vampire. Klaus should have known better, everyone always left him.

But now he had Elijah on his side, and he knew what he needed to do.

_Perhaps back then they would have forgiven you? Stayed with you? Or, perhaps, they would have left you like you had feared, like you still fear now. But the fact of the matter is that you did not even give them a chance to make that decision._

He knew he needed to tell Elijah the truth about their mother.

**xXx**

_I told him everything. Everything! There is nothing left to hide… and he didn't leave me._

_He stayed…_

_Esther's curse didn't work..._

_The witch has lost again!_

**xXx**

Klaus didn't realize how wrong he had been.

Elijah had betrayed him. He had worked against him with the Salvatore brothers and had released the rest of his siblings, unleashing their centuries of fury on him. He should have known better than to finally trust someone.

Finn had stabbed him through the hand with the dagger that Klaus had placed in his heart 900 years ago. Granted, he deserved it, but it didn't make it any less painful. What hurt the most was when his only sister had stabbed him in the abdomen, her eyes as cold to him as ever. He had never seen that look in her eyes before, at least not directed at him. In all their years together, the good and bad, she had always forgave him, had always been by his side no matter what. No matter what evils he had unleashed upon her, she always stayed with him. She was always so quick to love, never wanting to be alone, just like him. Perhaps that is what kept them together all these years.

Only difference was Klaus didn't love.

He sat there, watching his siblings as they stood around him, trying his best to explain himself, to tell them the house they currently stood in was for all of them. And it was! It was to be their home, he just hadn't figured out the best way to un-dagger them all, and this was definitely _not_ what he had in mind.

"None of us would ever have to be alone again." Klaus finished telling them, trying to sound sincere when in reality he wanted to dagger them all again and do this his way.

"Well you're right, none of us will be," said Elijah.

"You're staying behind," Finn added, making his way from the fireplace where he had stood to join the rest of his siblings.

"We're leaving you, Nik. Right after I kill that doppelganger wench, then you will be alone," Rabekah said coolly, all affection for her big brother lost in her gaze before she added, "Always and forever." Her words, a play on the pledge they had made to always be together, made a deeper wound than any dagger ever could. He was reminded of his mother's curse, the one he was dead set on never letting come to pass. He became enraged at the thought of losing to his mother, of being alone for all eternity.

Klaus got to his feet, "If you run, I will hunt all of you down!"

"Then you'll become everything you hate," said Elijah, "Our father."

This angered Klaus even further, "I'm the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you!"

"You will when we have that coffin." Elijah said, stopping Klaus in his tracks. The fear in his eyes was hard to miss.

Before another word could be uttered, however, the front door opened and in walked the last person he expected to see… in the flesh, anyway.

"Mother?" Rebekah's confusion was mixed with astonishment and she looked at her mother as if she didn't know if she should believe her eyes.

Klaus felt an overflow of emotion fill him. She was no longer haunting his dreams. She was really here, in the flesh, walking towards him. She was going to kill him. He couldn't stop the tears from escaping his eyes and he looked away from her, taking deep breaths with each step closer to him she took, too afraid to look her in the eye.

The woman whose heart he had torn from her chest.

"Look at me!" his mother demanded, and he slowly brought his gaze to meet hers, "Do you know why I'm here?"

He swallowed and uttered, "You're here to kill me."

"Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you." Those were the last words he ever expected to hear escape from her lips and he stared at her, disbelieving. Esther turned to face the rest of her children, "I want us to be a family again."


	5. A Family Again

_**Oh, thank you my lovelies for the wonderful reviews/follows/faves. As always, I am forever thankful for your support and feedback! Love you guys so much! I am sooo sorry for the delay in posting. Between the holidays and work, I was having difficulty finding the time to write. As such, I'm afraid this is not a very long chapter, as I was working hard to get it done as quickly as possible for you guys. I didn't want to go much longer without a posting! And to auror137, trust me; you will have OODLES of Klaroline in coming chapters, especially next chapter, which will take place during the wonderful ball! :)**_

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**A Thousand Years**  
Chapter 4 – "A Family Again"

She was here. It wasn't just some silly dream, it was real. Klaus paced his bedroom repeatedly, trying to pull his thoughts together. He could hear his family all throughout the house. Kol had picked out a room for himself and was making quick work of destroying it – and the peace that usually filled the house – with loud music and booze. Finn was doing whatever it was that Finn does. Honestly, Klaus couldn't remember, as he had daggered his brother 900 years ago. He just remembered that Finn was usually a very boring and self-righteous sort of person. He had never turned a single vampire, save for one. Then there was Rebekah and Elijah, both – he could hear – were with their mother. Rebekah was sobbing, being the emotional mess that she always was, so desperate for love and attention. Elijah spoke very little, probably just watching what was unfolding before him and wanting to give their younger sister time to be with their mother, Klaus assumed.

He tried to use this time of his family's distraction to figure out just what the hell was going on. How was his mother sitting in his living room? How could this happen? If only he hadn't lost that coffin! He had gone through great pains to make sure that his mother's body had never been discovered, and now not only had it been discovered, but she had been brought to life! The very thing he had feared…

Once he had learned all those years ago that that wretched witch, Ayana, had preserved his mother's body, he went back and collected it, not wanting to take any chance that something might happen to it. He therefore began to cart it around with him almost everywhere he went. When he moved to a new place, that casket went with him. She would always be where he was, to make sure that nothing ever happened to her… that _no one _ever resurrected her. He had a witch enchant the coffin so that it could not be opened, and he never told his siblings about it. They never knew their mother's body was preserved or how close she really was to them, and he was going to make damn sure he kept it that way.

Over time he had become convinced that there wasn't a witch strong enough to resurrect her, but that didn't make him any less paranoid. Damn that Stefan Salvatore for taking the coffins! For moving Esther someplace hidden before he could get her back with the rest of his family! Now she was here, in his house, surely plotting his demise, or at the very least, turning his siblings even more against him than they already were. She was going to make sure her curse on him became truth. She had never loved him the same way she loved her other children. He could just tell by the way she looked at him; there was always something different in her eyes than when she looked at any of the others. It wasn't until that fateful night that he learned it was because he was the product of an affair. Had she always known? Or had she only suspected and wasn't made aware of the truth until he made his first kill and went through his transformation?

Klaus had become so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed his door open. "Niklaus," she said, and he brought his attention to the silhouette of a woman standing in the doorway, "May I come in?" It was a formality, really. She would come in whether he gave his consent or not, so he merely nodded and watched her take a few steps inside. There was a moment of pause between the two with Klaus looking anywhere but his mother's piercing gaze. He felt like a child waiting to be scolded, his fear less apparent now than when she had first stepped foot into his home, the shock of her sudden appearance having dissipated slightly.

"Niklaus," she broke the silence, taking a step towards him but stopped immediately when he flinched, "I am not here to hurt you." she said, a little forcefully, like the mother she was trying to teach her child a lesson.

He straightened himself, his eyes taking a particular interest in the floor. "Then why are you here?" he asked her, keeping his breath even and slow.

She sighed, "I've already told you why."

"Am I really to believe that you aren't here to kill me?" he said, almost snarling, as he brought his gaze slowly up to meet hers. Their eyes locked and Klaus felt himself paralyzed, though he knew it was not by any spell of Esther's, but by his own fear and insecurities. Over a thousand years old and his mother still made him feel so weak and insignificant.

The fear he felt for Esther was an entirely different fear from that which he had felt for Mikael. The feeling he held for Mikael was a feeling he had had since he was a child, a mixture of hate, anger, fear, self-doubt, pride, and while Klaus hated to admit it, he even loved his father, even though he beat him and humiliated him, Klaus had still tried to win his approval... win his love. However, that never stopped him from believing that his father wanted nothing more than to rid this world of him, even before he had ever been turned into a vampire. Ever since he was a young boy, Mikael always seemed to have a disliking for him. Maybe deep down he knew that Klaus wasn't his, even if Esther supposedly didn't know. Maybe all the beatings that Klaus had to endure growing up were Mikael's way of punishing Esther, and possibly Klaus, for Esther's sins? These thoughts had crossed his mind many times when he would think of his past with his family… his life as a human.

Esther held his gaze. She seemed to notice the unshed tears in his eyes for he saw her expression soften, "I am not here to kill you, Niklaus. I have told you, I am here to forgive you. I know that your murder of me was an accident. I know that with the werewolf gene came a heightened aggression, and that being a vampire only intensified that aggression." she said, calmly, motherly, a tone which he had not expected from her, nor had he heard her use when speaking to him since he was a child, "The anger and the hurt that you felt was also overwhelming for you, and all of that is my fault." She reached forward and took his hands in hers. He recoiled, pulling away as she did so, but she only took his hands again, sandwiching them between hers. "Had I not turned you and your siblings into vampires, you would have never felt those emotions with such intensity, and had I been honest with you about your parentage from the beginning, you might have been more careful about triggering the gene, and perhaps would not have hated me so." She smiled at him softly and gave his hands a squeeze, "I want us to be a family again, a _real_ family. No more fear, no more sadness. All of us, here, living in this beautiful house that you have built for us, together."

**xXx**

_This can't be real. She can't be standing before me, telling me these things. She can't be serious. She hates me! …Doesn't she?_

_I'm the bastard child. I was conceived with another man. My mother, the adulterer. She lied to me, she's tried to kill me, and she's tried to turn everyone against me so that I will be alone for all eternity. But now, she is in my home, telling me the exact opposite. She is apologizing for everything! Ha! Of course, she's _so_ sorry, I'm sure._

_But… she's here… and she hasn't tried to kill me… if she had really wanted me dead, she would have done so by now… wouldn't she?_

_Perhaps she is telling the truth? Perhaps she really means to make us whole again?_

_I don't know what to think about this… do I trust her? I haven't trusted anyone for a thousand years, not even Saint Elijah, the most trusting of us all!_

_I will have to tread carefully…_

**xXx**

"You went after Elena? What is wrong with you?!" Klaus asked, furious when he learned from one of his hybrids that Rebekah had attacked the young doppelganger. He had to restrain himself from grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her violently.

"Here we go." She said as though he were overreacting. This only infuriated him more.

"Do you want another dagger in your heart?"

"Again with the dagger threats?" Kol chimed in, just poking the fire that was burning rage inside Klaus' mind, "Don`t you have any other tricks?"

Klaus turned to face him, "Oh, go back to staring at yourself." He turned back to Rebekah, preparing to continuing scolding her, when Kol piped in again.

"And who are you, my father?" The accusation angered Klaus further. How _dare_ Kol compare him to Mikael?!

He turned back to the younger Mikaelson and took a step closer to him as he spoke, "No, Kol, but you're in _my_ house."

Kol got up from his seat and followed Klaus' lead, getting closer to his older brother so that they were face to face. "Then perhaps we should go outside."

They both stood there, glaring at each other, waiting for one to make the first move. Klaus was prepared to grab his brother by the throat and slam him against the wall when he heard the clicking of heals from the connecting room.

"Enough!" Esther said as she made her appearance. Both boys continued to stare at each other. "Niklaus..." he looked over Kol's shoulder at his mother, "come."

Klaus gave the smirking Kol once last piercing glare before walking around him to follow Esther into office from which she had just emerged. "Rebekah wasn't even out of her box a day before she tried to ruin my life," he said, sounding almost too much like a child running to his mother to tattle. "What happened to peace, acceptance… family?"

Esther turned to face him, wearing a look of sheer bewilderment upon her face, "You put _daggers_ in their _hearts_. You want them to go down on their knees and kiss your feet for reuniting them?"

"So it's a crime to want our family to be as we were?"

"You need to give it time, Niklaus. I've had a thousand years on the other side to be angry and to heal." She said softly. Klaus kept his eyes steady on her, watching her closely as she spoke. "I'm here to make sure this family does the same."

"I just don't understand," he said, his eyes still on her. He was trying to read her, to see if he could detect if anything she said was a lie. He still wasn't one-hundred percent sure he trusted her, even after their conversation the night before. "I killed you, and still you forgive me."

Echoing her motions from last night, she walked towards him so that she was standing just a few short feet away from him. However, she did not reach for his hands this time, "It's been my dream for a thousand years that this family could be as one. Forgiveness is not a chore. It's a gift." He felt the curve of his lips creep up in a slight smile. Was this what it was like to have a mother? "Now, who are you bringing to the ball this evening?"

The question caught him off guard and he looked down, his slight smile forming into a full-blown grin. He let out a sigh, "Don't be ridiculous." He looked back up at her, a little more serious, "You're lucky I'm even going."

"Well, I wish you would reconsider. It is going to be a magical evening."

He didn't want to admit it to her, but he did have someone in mind… his latest muse, the young woman he couldn't seem to stop drawing… the girl who had calmed his nerves for several weeks just by the mere sight of her. He did not know what was going on with him, why this girl had crossed his mind when his mother had asked him who he would be inviting, why he thought of her at all. But now all he could think about was her… Even as his mother spoke those final words to him, he had already decided… he needed to speak to her again, to get to know her better, and not just when she was sick and dying – no! – he needed to speak to her for real, to have _real_ conversations with her…

He would invite Caroline Forbes.


	6. Beauty in All She Is

_**You wanted Klaroline, and I delivered! It's Klaroline fluff galore! And just for you lovely readers! :) Enjoy!**_

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**A Thousand Years**  
Chapter 5 – "Beauty in All She Is"

There were people all around, women wearing glamorous ball gowns, men wearing tuxedos. The ballroom was filled with music being played by a local orchestra and people dancing together elegantly. Practically everyone from the town was there, but there was one person he had yet to see. Klaus didn't think she would show up, but kept looking for her anyway. He knew full well what everyone thought of him… at least, the people who knew what he really was. Most of the people at this party had no idea of the existence of vampires, and there were only a couple dozen who knew the truth of who the Mikaelsons were and were only there to be diplomatic and peaceful. Currently he was chatting up one of the oblivious Mystic Falls citizens, barely paying attention to what she was saying. He could tell by her pupil dilation and her increase in pulse that she was attracted to him, so he decided to run with it until something – or someone – else captured his attention. As the woman spoke, he kept finding himself scanning the room for her; still, he held no hope that the beautiful, young vampire would come.

He had sent her the standard invitation that they had sent to all their guests, but he had written a special note on the back of hers. Something that he had had to work up the courage to write in the first place: "Save me a dance. Fondly, Klaus." He had even gone so far as to buy her a dress, a little something he had seen in the window of a dress shop a few days ago: a long, flowing blue dress with swirls of silver, with rhinestones on the bodice and white, elbow-high silk gloves. The moment he saw it he thought it would look exquisite on the blonde vampire. He had contemplated why she had come to mind when he saw it. Usually he didn't think much of those things. If he had seen that dress months back, he would have thought nothing of it and kept walking. But for some reason when spotting that dress, his thoughts immediately went to her. It was one of many odd, unexplainable behaviors he had begun to notice in himself, another one being his nervousness of writing her a private note on her invitation. He never had to work up the courage for anything, but all of the sudden he was afraid to write a silly little note? He just couldn't understand what was wrong with him. The more he thought about it, the more he had wanted to understand. He felt that by talking to her more, maybe it would help him… well, that and he genuinely had the desire to see and speak to the girl.

The woman before him laughed at his idle chit-chat and he turned his head slightly in a modest grin when he saw her… he couldn't believe his eyes. There she stood: Caroline Forbes, wearing the dress he had bought for her, her hair tied up in a loose bun with golden ringlets falling down, framing her face perfectly. She looked even more beautiful than he had imagined. He let his eyes rake over her as she noticed his gaze. She straightened up, holding her head high as she walked further into the room, not daring to make eye contact with him. He assumed she was trying to get by without him speaking to her, but surely she had to know that was not going to happen? There was no way he could stay away from her, not in that dress! Klaus made his way towards Caroline, the woman he had been speaking to only seconds before forgotten completely.

"Good Evening." He said, unable to hide his pleasure at her arrival. She stood there a moment, taking in a deep breath. He could tell she was trying to think of something to say.

"I need a drink." She said, breathing out and walking passed him. He watched her as she made her way to the bar.

"Stunning…" he murmured, barely above a whisper.

**xXx**

_She's even more beautiful than I remember… that dress does not do her justice. And… is she wearing the bracelet I gave her? Surely that was not an accident. God, she is like an angel sent from heaven…_

_What am I saying? What the hell are these thoughts? I haven't felt like this in so long that I can't even __**place**__ what this emotion is called! I don't think thoughts like these. I don't pay attention to silly, young vampires. Everyone is dispensable to me. I don't have any problem putting daggers into the hearts of my own siblings, if that is __**any**__ indication!_

_So why does this young vampire cause me such turmoil when it comes to my emotions? Why can't I stop thinking about her, day and night? She's everywhere. I draw her image to try to pry her from my mind, to pour her out onto the page, onto a canvas, so that she is no longer locked inside my head. But the more I do, the more she comes back, invading my mind with her gorgeous eyes, her flawless skin, her flowing hair… her perfect smile…_

_To see her sad causes me to feel something… strange… a tightening in my chest that I cannot explain. I have the urge to ease her suffering, to make it right… but there are things that hurt her that I cannot change… I know there are things that I will do that will hurt her, that __**I**__ will hurt her… I should stay away to rid myself of these feelings! But I can't stay away… I have to be near her._

_I should kill her. In the past I would have killed anyone who was not of use to me, who brought about any feelings that made me appear weak! But I cannot bring myself to kill her either… I feel as though if she were to disappear from this world, that I would be lost…_

_Surely there is some sort of spell over me?_

_There is something more to this girl… there has to be. What else could these feelings be?_

_I don't know what these feelings are, but I will find out. One way or another, I will discover why I feel this way, and Caroline Forbes will help me._

**xXx**

Elijah was spouting off some story to their guests, some nonsense about their mother and gatherings, Klaus didn't really know and he didn't really care. He wasn't listening to a single word Elijah said as he scanned the room for a certain blonde. He eventually found her standing in a corner of the room by a fake plant. He locked eyes with her for a moment before she looked away.

"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz," he heard Elijah say, "so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." Klaus took a large gulp of his champagne.

"Don't mind if I do." He whispered to no one in particular and made his way down to meet her. As he approached, some dolt was speaking with her, his hand outstretched. As if he was going to let that moron dance with Caroline. Klaus touched the man's shoulder, "Excuse me," he said, turning the man towards him, who began to protest until he locked eyes with Klaus and his pupils began to dilate, "You will find another dance partner and not speak with Miss Forbes for the rest of the evening." Klaus could barely contain his smirk as the man nodded and walked off like a zombie. Caroline did not look as amused as he did.

"What the hell was that about?" She didn't attempt to hide the irritation in her voice.

"Nothing, love, I just didn't want him to ask you to dance before I got the chance to." He said, trying to sound innocent.

"Excuse me? Who says I would even _want_ to dance with you in the first place?"

He held his arm out for her to take, "I saved your life, or don't you remember?" She huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "C'mon, now, don't be like that. I say you owe me."

"Owe you?!" she blurted out, gaining the attention of a few guests nearby. She smiled, slightly embarrassed, and then said more quietly, "Owe for you what, exactly?"

"I just told you, love," he motioned for her to take his arm, "saving your life."

She rolled her eyes, frustrated, and took his arm, "Fine. _One_ dance."

Klaus could barely cover up his all-too-pleased grin as he led her to the ballroom and onto the dance floor. They got into position with other couples who were partaking in the waltz and Klaus took Caroline's hands in his as they stood side-by-side. He found himself glancing over at her from the corner of his eye every couple seconds, while she kept her eyes forward. He could tell she was resisting looking at him, and wondered what could be going on in her mind. What was she thinking about?

The music began to play and they stepped forward in time with the music, slowly turning with the rest of the dancers and crossing the dance floor to walk through the line of dancing couples across from them. Klaus and Caroline passed between his older brother, Finn, and the youngest Salvatore, Stefan, and their respective dance partners. Klaus ignored the smirk on Finn's face as they passed.

They reached the other side of the dance floor and turned to face the other way. Caroline turned to look at him and, catching his eyes, she quickly looked away. Klaus felt his chest tighten for the split second that their eyes had met, and when she looked away he let out of a breath he hadn't realized was caught in his throat. Her beauty was beyond compare, and her spirit was fiery, vibrant. He had never really met anyone quite like her before.

He twirled her in time with the rest of the couples, and then took her hand firmly in his as he wrapped his other around her waist, their eyes meeting once again as she was forced to look at him now. They began to spin slowly around the ballroom, lost in the sea of other dancing couples. Caroline's gaze was now focused on something, or someone, else, but Klaus wasn't too concerned by who or what. The silence was killing him, so he decided he would make conversation.

"I'm glad you came." He said, unable to contain the smile from growing on his face.

Caroline brought her focus back to him, "Well, it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles."

Ah, yes. He had heard about the loss of her father from one of his hybrids, and though he had lost his own father, he could not relate to Caroline's pain as their relationships with their fathers were very different in so many ways. Looking at her now, he could tell she was trying to play it off like it was nothing, but he knew better. "I heard about your father." He said, trying to sound comforting, something he wasn't particularly good at.

"Don't." she said, giving him a warning look, "Seriously."

Klaus was all but too happy to drop the subject, as he wasn't exactly the most sympathetic person in the world. He had lost a lot in the thousand years he had been on this earth and had eventually learned not to grow attached to things or people. Everyone always left him one way or another, whether it was by walking out or death, they always left him alone. So, per her request, he let the conversation drop and allowed a smile to play across his lips as he spoke.

"Very well. On to more mannered subjects then," he said, giving her the once over, "like how _ravishing_ you look in that dress."

He noted the hint of pink that flushed across Caroline's cheeks as she looked away, "I didn't really have time to shop."

"And the bracelet I gave you," he said, turning his attention to the object in question around the wrist of the hand he was holding, "what's your excuse for wearing that?" She only stared at him, her words caught in her throat. He stared at her intently, trying to will her to answer him, but she remained silent. "You know, you're quite the dancer." He complimented, quite pleased with his dance partner in more ways than one.

She paused, and he wondered if she was going to speak at all or keep her silence. She looked as though she was thinking, "Well," she said, taking a breath, "I've had training. I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls." Caroline held her head high as she spoke the final words, obviously very proud of her achievement.

Klaus smiled, "I know."

She looked at him, a bit taken aback by his confession. But before either one of them could say another word, he twirled her and she ended up in the arms of Matt Donovan while Klaus found himself with a brunette dance partner. She smiled, obviously very pleased to be dancing with one of the rich and handsome Mikaelsons, but Klaus couldn't care less. He only wished to still be dancing with the blonde young woman he had been dying to see all evening. When the dance was over, Klaus scanned the floor looking for Caroline, but she had disappeared. The brunette in front of him began to stammer something out, but he ignored her and went on his quest to find Caroline, wherever she may be.

**xXx**

_She holds herself with such grace, but I can see there is a fire that burns underneath those innocent blue eyes. She longs to be free of the chains that hold her here, I can see that. She wants something more… she __**deserves**__ something more…_

**xXx**

Klaus found his temptress outside, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, admiring the horses standing before her. She looked to be contemplating whether or not to pet it. He made his to her, slowly, admiring her in much the same way she was the horses.

"You like horses?" He asked, finally making his presence known.

She looked at him, startled, and let out a disappointed breath when she realized who it was. "I'm not talking to you until you tell me why you invited me here."

"I fancy you." he said before he could stop himself, stunned by his own revelation. She looked about as surprised at his words as he felt. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes!"

"Why?" he asked. He had already admitted, against his better judgment, to finding her attractive, there was no going back now. Might as well go the whole nine yards! "You're beautiful! Y-You're strong, you're full of light…." She looked at him skeptically, "I enjoy you."

"Well, I'm spoken for. By Tyler."

That was interesting, seeing as his _favorite_ hybrid had skipped town. "But I thought you two ended things?" he asked, trying to hide the irritation he felt from his voice.

"Yeah, because of you and your freaky sire bond with him." She said vehemently.

Ah, well, that changed things.

"So you aren't spoken for?" he said, a smirk playing on his lips. She glared at him and turned her gaze back to the horses. He grinned, quite pleased with this turn of events, and followed her lead by bringing his attention to the horses as well. They stood like that for a moment before Klaus decided to speak, "You know, horses are the opposite of people. They're loyal." He got a far off look in his eyes as he traveled into the far reaches of his mind, remembering a time long passed. "My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day he killed my favorite horse. He-He severed its neck with a sword as a warning."

"Did you ever consider sitting down with your father and talking it out?" Caroline asked, noticeably uncomfortable but intrigued. That was the most absurd thing he had ever heard, but he wasn't about to say that to her… well, not in so many words.

"Well, I'm afraid my relationship with my father was a little bit more complex than yours."

Caroline considered this, "Maybe so. But I let my father go with no regrets." They stared at each other a moment, he taking in every word she said, and her allowing him the time to soak it up. When she felt her message had sufficiently been absorbed, she continued, "And to answer your question, yes, I like horses. But I also like people and they actually like me so I'll be inside." She turned quickly and left him to his thoughts.

He watched her go, finding himself at a loss for words… and wanting more.

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_**Okay, so, I totally have more, but I'm really trying to post on a regular schedule and I had decided that Fridays were gonna be my deadlines, so I really wanted to get this up even though I have more to go on with, so I've decided to just add it to the next chapter since that one wasn't going to be very long anyway.**_

_**Btw, did anyone else hear about TVD spin-off "The Originals"? HELL YEAH, BABY! IT'S HAPPENING! I can only hope season 4 ends with Caroline leaving Mystic Falls with Klaus and becoming a star on "The Originals". Oh, that would be the best. I would be in heaven! *dies of happiness***_


	7. Frozen I Held My Breath

_**I do apologize for this late update. I was sick for 3 days, plus everyone at work was sick, too, so I took more shifts at work and was hardly home, and when I was home I was sleeping because, as stated before, I was sick. Lol!**_

_**I'm not too pleased with this chapter. I wrote it rather quickly because of the lost time. *sigh* I hope you guys like it at least.**_

_**If you guys are looking for more Klaroline in the meantime, check out my other stories, "Treacherous" and "I Knew You Were Trouble". :) And, as always, please review!**_

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**A Thousand Years**  
Chapter 6 – "Frozen I Held My Breath"

He felt as though he were chasing her all over this blasted ball. After she had left him with the horses, he had stood there for a good long while and considered her words. In the end, he came to find that he envied the relationship Caroline had had with her father and actually began to wonder what it would have been like to have a father who loved him. Would he have been a different person? Klaus quickly dismissed these thoughts, finding the idea of it all preposterous. This, he knew, would be the difference between he and Caroline Forbes. While he lived in darkness, she lived in the light… Oh, how he admired her for it.

He came across the young Forbes inside, chatting with some other guests whom he recognized as Rebekah's and Caroline's fellow cheerleaders from school, and approached her. "Caroline." He said, touching her shoulder as he came up behind her.

Caroline rolled her eyes, suppressing an 'ugh' and simply answering with mock-politeness, "Something I can help you with, Mister Mikaelson?"

He dropped his head and stifled a laugh, knowing full-well her intention was to be disrespectful. The only people who ever dared to be that way with him were his own siblings, and anyone else who tried never saw the light of day again (or if they did, it was tied to a tree without a lapis lazuli), so on that note, he certainly admired her bravery. "Yes, actually," he said, drawing closer to her, "I require your presence. I have something I wish to show you."

"Well, in case you didn't notice, I'm occupied." She said, turning back to the group with which she had been speaking.

Klaus leaned in from behind, whispering low enough so only she could hear, "Do you really want a repeat of earlier? Because I don't have a problem compelling people to do as I wish." Caroline straightened, a frown overtaking her features.

"I'm sorry, guys," she said, putting on a fake smile so as to not alarm her friends, "but I apparently promised this guy that I would be his arm-candy." She said with a laugh, taking Klaus' arm before he could even offer it. Her friends all made expressions of admiration for Caroline, many of them eyeing Klaus up and down and giving approving nods.

"Of course!" said one of the girls, "Have fun! C'mon, girls." She ushered the other girls away, turning around to give Caroline a wink. Caroline just waved unenthusiastically and once they were out of sight, she let go of Klaus' arm.

"Seriously, it's bad enough I have to be here, but then you have to stalk me the whole night, too?" she said, annoyed, "Don't you have anything better to do? Any other guests you can bother?"

"Take a look around you, love," he said, gesturing to the crowds of people that filled his home, "I have my pick of the lot, but truth be told, I find them all rather dull." He leaned in closer to her, "None of them pique my interest quite like you do."

"Right… because you 'fancy' me." She said sarcastically, her eyebrow raised, and was surprised to see that he actually blushed at her comment.

He suddenly felt exposed and wishing he hadn't confessed that much to her. It was too late now. He couldn't go back and retract his words, so he straightened up and smiled at her. "Well, yes." He said matter-of-factly, "But also because you're smart, though I suspect you aren't aware of just how much." Her mouth hung open ever-so-slightly, her shock at his continued shower of affection evident. "And you're not too hard on the eyes, either." He added with a grin.

She rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a smile of her own, "Men."

"Good Evening, Ladies and Gentleman," came a voice from high above them. Klaus' and Caroline's eyes followed the voice, along with the rest of the guests, to find Esther standing on the staircase, "Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass." Klaus took two glasses from the tray being held out in front of him and happily handed one to Caroline, who smiled as she accepted it. "It provides me with no greater joy then to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!" Esther raised her glass and the rest of the room followed. Klaus smiled at Caroline as he downed the champagne. When Caroline had finished hers, he took it from her and placed both empty glasses on a nearby waiter's tray.

"Come along, Caroline, I want to show you something." He said, gesturing with his head for her to follow him. She looked at him questioningly and he raised his eyebrows in amusement, "I won't bite."

She scoffed, "Fine." She followed him away from the crowds of people and down an empty hallway, making their way towards the back of the house. Her eyes widened, "Just how big is your house, anyway?"

"Big." He answered simply. She shot him a sarcastic look that screamed _'seriously?!'_ and he chuckled. "I wanted my family to be able to live under one roof comfortably, with plenty of space so that we could all be together but not be in each other's way."

Her face softened, "Wow. That's very… out of character of you." Klaus grinned as they drew nearer to their destination, finally entering his gallery. "So… what did you want to show me?"

"One of my passions." He said, coming to a stop in front of a table littered with drawings, a gorgeous Monet painting hanging on the wall before them.

"Oh. Impressive. I take it the curators at the Louvre aren't on vervain?" she quipped, causing Klaus to chuckle. She was a sharp one, he couldn't deny it. That's what was so appealing about her. She was so much more than what she seemed.

"Yeah, well that's their mistake."

Caroline sighed and looked down, "What about these? Where'd you steal this from?" She asked, gesturing to the bracelet wrapped gracefully around her delicate wrist.

"Well, that's a long story." He said. Caroline seemed intrigued, eager to hear his tale. He was not ready to go into it, however, remembering the woman who had worn the bracelet many years ago… a woman he had killed. Deciding not to delve into a dark tale of his past (one of many), he chose to answer simply, "But rest assured it was worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you."

Caroline rolled her eyes, looking away. Klaus, too, looked away, embarrassed. What was wrong with him? Why was he making such a fool of himself?

"Wait a second." He heard Caroline say, turning his attention back to her. She was picking up his sketches from the table and browsing through them. "Did... did you do these?"

"Yeah, um..." Klaus said, trying to overcome his momentary embarrassment, "actually one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice." He was feeling more and more exposed as this evening progressed. Why did he have to bring her here? Wasn't it bad enough he was acting like a complete fool around her? Desperate to get the conversation away from him and back to Caroline, he casually asked, "Have you been?"

"I've never really been anywhere." Caroline replied dejectedly. Her solemn reply made him feel as though he had to cheer her up.

"I'll take you," he said. She looked at him with an expression that said 'as if' and 'give it up' all at once, but he ignored it. "Wherever you want. Rome. Paris. Tokyo?"

"Oh wow." Caroline said disbelievingly, and they both laughed. Klaus looked down as he did so, both embarrassed and genuinely pleased with how this conversation was going. "Must be really nice to just snap your fingers and get whatever you want." Caroline said, the mood changing rather quickly. Klaus was left speechless, unsure of how to approach this line of questioning. "Is that why you collect hybrids? A little servant army to take you places and bring you things?"

"You're making assumptions."

"Then why do you need Tyler? Stop controlling him. Give him his life back."

Her accusations were wearing his patience thin. He could feel his temper rising and knew that if it boiled over, there would be no turning back. She didn't need to see the beast, though he knew it wouldn't change her mind about him one way or another.

"You know," he took a deep breath, "this has been a fun evening, but I think it's time for you to leave."

"I get it. Your father didn't love you, so you assume that no one else will either." She said, searching his eyes. He didn't like it. "And that's why you compel people or you sire them or you try to buy them off," she pulled the bracelet he had given her from her wrist and threw it to the ground. He watched it fall, feeling a pain in his chest as it hit the floor with a 'clank'. "But that's not how it works. You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to understand them." With that, Caroline turned on her heel and walked out the room without another word. He moved to say something, to stop her, to tell her she was wrong – or maybe even that she was right – but the words wouldn't come. He watched her leave, his anger dispersing and replaced by anguish.

Klaus retreated to his bedroom, confused by this turn of events. Why was he feeling so lost now? He felt like he needed to explain himself to her, but he couldn't. He couldn't argue. She was right… about everything. That was the most honest anyone had been with him in years. Unsure of what to do, he sat down with his sketchbook and began to draw the first thing that came to his mind, the first thing that had been coming to his mind for weeks now. He eagerly drew the shape of her face, her piercing eyes, her luscious lips… he drew her as he saw her, as he had always seen her. A smile played across his lips as he remembered her watching the horses earlier that evening, and decided to do something special for her… he drew her a horse.

When he had finished, he leaned back to admire his quick sketch, thinking all the while how it paled in comparison to the real thing. He prepared to roll up the paper but stopped himself, deciding to inscribe a message for her in the bottom corner:

_Thank you for your honesty,_

_Klaus_

Finally satisfied, he rolled the paper up and placed it inside a velvety box, tying a white ribbon around it. He quickly changed out of his tuxedo and into some jeans, a white shirt, and black corduroy jacket. He quickly made his way down the back staircase and out the back kitchen door so that no one would see him, entering the garage and taking one of his several cars he had to choose from. He sped down the road, not worried about cops. If they stopped him, he would just compel them anyway. He parked his car down the street from the Forbes home, not wanting Caroline to see him, and made his way towards her house.

He slowed, coming to a stop and staying hidden behind a tree as he watched Caroline pay a taxi driver before making her way up the walkway to her front door. She looked both sad and furious at the same time. Klaus wanted to approach her, to say something to her… to tell her she was right.

But he didn't.

He stayed glued to his spot until she entered the home.

Feeling it was safe to move without fear of discovering, Klaus quickly made his way to her bedroom window. Listening carefully, he determined she was still in the living room. He could hear her making a phone call. Using this opportunity, he opened her window and rushed over to the bed, using his vampire speed to leave the velvet box on her bed and then speed back out. He managed to close the window just as she entered her bedroom. Watching her a moment as she took a seat at her vanity, he stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked sad… lonely. He could relate.

He didn't want to see her reaction to his drawing or what she would do with it afterwards. He had delivered it to her, and it was hers to do with as she pleased. All he wanted to know was that she had received his message… and that he had been grateful for her veracity.

As she approached the velvet box on her bed, Klaus backed away from her window, allowing to the darkness to swallow him whole.


	8. Taking Chances

**So I deeply apologize for my lateness in posting. I am a notorious procrastinator, and in addition to that, life also got in the way. And then TVD was gone for weeks, and after the mid-season finale, I had felt a bit of despair that Klaroline was over thanks to Klaus' need for revenge overtaking his thinking process and killing Mayor Lockwood without caring what the consequences for that would be until AFTER he had already done it. *sigh* Oh Klaus, you are just too impulsive sometimes.**

**So, needless to say, I was feeling a little un-inspired and sad for a while. Also, I was so upset about Kol! Wtf? How can you have an "Originals" spin-off if you keep KILLING ALL THE ORIGINALS?! I was a bit peeved by that. Still am. But they had some great Klaroline stuff the last couple episodes, and then the OTHER big death this season. Oh, I am not happy about that! There are a few people in this show that should get killed off, and (I'm not saying who it is 'cause I don't want to spoil it, but damn you, Katherine, I liked you before you did that!) was not one of them!**

**Anyway, moving on. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.**

**P.S. We will be delving into a bit of Caroline's POV, too. So it's not all just Klaus in this chapter, though mostly it is.**

* * *

**A Thousand Years**  
Chapter 7 – "Taking Chances"

How in the hell his younger brother had gotten him out of the house, he still didn't know. He wasn't the sympathetic type, so Kol's whining that he needed to get out of the house really didn't pull at his heartstrings. However, he didn't particularly like the idea of being stuck under the same roof as Rebekah, and after Caroline's brutal honesty and subsequent rejection the night before, he really didn't want to stay at home moping and drawing away his feelings. Sure, he was a tortured soul, but there was no way in hell he was going to play the part like some angst-filled teenager. My God, he was Klaus Mikaelson! The Original Hybrid! He was going to have a fucking good time!

Besides, he hadn't spent much time with his younger brother for over a hundred years. They had some catching up to do, though, truth be told, Kol tended to walk the fine line between fun, annoying younger brother, and driving Klaus to the point of daggering the little bastard. Yes, when he had daggered Kol all those years ago, it was more or less over Kol doing something incredibly reckless and stupid and Klaus had had enough, and for the sake of not wanting to deal with him he kept him in the coffin until Elijah woke him up. Klaus wasn't afraid or ashamed to admit it, but he really didn't like it when people disagreed with him… or disappointed him.

For the better part of an hour Klaus had been telling Kol what he had missed in the hundred years or so that he had been "asleep", trying to shrug off much of the century as if he hadn't missed much. This was meant to be a nice, "brotherly bonding"-type situation and Klaus was trying to keep it civil, but how could he do that when Kol wouldn't stop pestering him about everything that had happened in the time that he had been daggered inside of a coffin? It was only a bigger reminder that Klaus had DAGGERED him and stuck him in a BOX for a hundred years! He could only keep him from remembering that little tidbit of information for so long.

Thankfully, something – or someone – caught Kol's attention from across the room. "I remember her from last night," he said, pointing in the direction of the woman in question, "She looks like a tasty little thing."

Klaus eyed the blonde beauty, strutting her way up to the bar, perhaps completely unaware of how stunning she was. He found his brother's remarks towards the woman rage-inducing.

"Say another word and I'll tear out your liver." He threatened under his breath before addressing the young woman about to pass them, "Caroline!"

She stopped and looked at them, a frown forming on her lips as she crossed her arms, "Oh, it's you."

Klaus had to pretend like her words didn't sting, "Join us for a drink?"

"Mmm, I'd rather die of thirst. But thanks." She said with a whip of her hair, heading back out the way she came.

He couldn't help the smile that overtook his features as he leaned in towards Kol, "Isn't she stunning?"

"She certainly looks good walking away from you," Kol replied, not hiding his amusement.

"I'll take that as a challenge." Klaus said, setting his empty glass on the countertop and following Caroline outside, determination overtaking him. Kol watched his brother leave with a smirk before having his attention fall on the lovely brunette over by the pool table.

**xXx**

_She is stunning… she is breathtaking… she is alluring…_

_I've come to accept that there is something about this woman that won't leave me alone… that I am going to be drawn to her, against all thought or reason…_

**xXx**

Klaus ran out the door of the Mystic Grill. He could see Caroline reaching the other side of the street and followed her without regards to traffic. "Caroline!" he shouted to get her attention, nearly getting hit by a car in the process. He threw his arms up in surrender to the vehicle and quickly made his way around it as it continued on his way.

Caroline turned to face him, annoyed, "Are you serious? Take a hint." She turned back around and continued walking away from him.

"Don't be angry, love. We had a little spat. I'm over it already."

"Ah, well, I'm not." She said, taking pleasure in making him squirm.

"How can I acquit myself?" He asked. Klaus was not accustomed to begging for forgiveness. Whenever his siblings were angry with him he usually let it run its course until they came back around. Lately, however, it seemed as though he had been begging for forgiveness left and right, from both his family and – now, it seemed – Caroline.

She sighed and turned to face him, "You and your expensive jewelry and your romantic drawings can leave me alone."

Well, that stung a little. He paused, unsure of what to say. When Caroline made to walk away, he suddenly felt the words come up, "Oh, come on," he said, effectively stopping her, "take a chance, Caroline." She scoffed, finding his persistence both annoying and intriguing. He quickly sat at the bench beside them, "Talk to me." Caroline merely stared at him in disbelief. "Come on, get to know me. I dare you."

She paused a moment before relenting, "Fine." She took the seat next to him on the bench. They stared at each other a moment, both quiet. The awkward tension was getting to her, "So… what do you wanna talk about?"

"I want to talk about you." he said, his eyes capturing every expression on her face and storing it away to memory like a camera. She scoffed again – a regular response to his efforts to woo her, he noticed. He smiled bashfully and looked away, searching for his words again, "Your hopes, your-your dreams… everything you want in life."

She laughed before looking at him more seriously, a smile still playing on her lips, "Just to be clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

"Well, that's why I like you." he replied, not missing a beat. She searched his face, looking for a hint of deception in his confession, but he knew she wouldn't find any. This was the most genuine he had ever been with someone, something that had even taken him by surprise. In an effort to move the conversation along, away from this awkward moment they were currently trapped in, he continued, "And let's not forget that – despite the fact that I am the most powerful being on this planet and could kill you with a swift movement of my hand – you continue to berate and challenge me. Not too many people can get away with that."

Caroline laughed, "Oh, is that so?"

"You doubt me?"

She looked at him, "No, I believe you could kill me before I can blink. I just don't understand why you don't? I mean, seriously, I've never been this brave before. A year ago – hell, probably a few months ago – I would have never had the guts to talk to you the way I do now. I've always been kind of bossy," she paused, thinking, "okay, a _lot_ bossy," she laughed, "but this newfound bravery I've been having recently? Yeah, I don't know where it's coming from."

"It's the vampire." He said simply, "You're stronger, faster, powerful…"

"Still," she said, "you tried to sacrifice me! And you've killed plenty of humans and vampires alike, so it's not like I'm immune to death if you want me dead." She looked at him more intently, "So why _don't_ you want me dead?"

He paused, "Haven't we already been over this?"

"Yeah, yeah, 'full of light' and so on. What does that even mean?"

To be honest, Klaus didn't even know himself, and not wanting to answer as such, he quickly changed topic, "So you never got around to telling me what your hopes are? What do you plan to do with the rest of eternity?"

Caroline sighed. Did she really expect him to answer her truthfully or at all for that matter? Whatever, she was only here to distract him anyway. She shrugged, "I figure I have eternity to figure that out."

Klaus smiled. He couldn't help but find her so alluring. He felt like he could sit there and talk to her for hours, watching the lines in her forehead form as she raises her brow to something he has said that she deems "unbelievable", like his confession that Gobstoppers are the greatest breakthrough in food since the pizza was invented. She began to dispute his claim when it happened… when he felt that subtle kick in his heart. He paused for a moment, placing his hand over his heart. Knowing something was wrong, he got to his feet quickly as Caroline looked at him, confused.

"What is it?" she asked, getting to her feet after him.

He brought his gaze to hers, a feeling of betrayal rising to the surface. She couldn't really have something to do with this, could she? While he was desperately trying to sort out a million different feelings going through his mind and body, he could hear the words escaping his lips, "What did you do?"

"Nothing," she said, looking and sounding genuinely confused.

His anger overwhelmed him and he grabbed her arms forcefully, "What did you do?!"

Caroline looked around frantically, "I didn't do anything. Stop it!"

He was reminded of a memory from years ago… '_What are you doing?! Stop it!' _He heard the child's voice screaming in his head.

He pushed it away and let go of Caroline's arms, bringing himself back to reality and the task at hand. He instantly knew what was wrong.

"Kol!"

**xXx**

_I should have suspected it. I should have known that mother's forgiveness was nothing more than a ploy, and that her "celebratory ball" was a trap, a stepping stone in her plot to kill me. That had always been her goal. She so despises me that it is her sole purpose in life to end me._

_But this time it is not just me that she has sought to kill, but also my siblings… her other, more _desirable_ children._

_And Finn, ever the martyr for her cause… I will break this spell that she has bonded us with and I will put him back in his coffin for another 900 years!_

_Oh, Caroline…_

_I should have known better…_

_This… "infatuation"… it ends now._

_How could I have allowed for myself to stray so far from everything I have come to believe?_

_No more foolishness…_


End file.
